Boeing engineers, machinists and other employees will receive a record $600 million in bonuses over the next month, the Seattle Times reports. That’s the largest bonus in company history, and most of it will flow into the local economy, providing an additional boost to the state.

Boeing had a “blockbuster” 2017, the Times wrote. Last year’s $8.2 billion profit was nearly double the $4.9 billion from 2016. Also, Boeing workers produced a record number of airplanes and posted strong productivity.

“This just shows us that when we all work together, we can’t be beat,” said Kevin McAllister, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Engineers could see bonuses of more than $9,000, the Times reported. Nearly half of Boeing's worldwide workforce is in Washington.

Also last week, Boeing announced that it will increase the match it pays for employee charitable donations. The company will now pay up to $10,000 per employee (up from the previous $6,000) as part of the Boeing "Dollars for Doers" employee match program. The funds for the increase come from part of the company's tax relief in the recent federal tax overhaul.

Senate Bill 6203 will burden some people more than others, and that isn't fair.

The proposal -- also known as the carbon tax bill -- would impose an additional $10 per metric ton on carbon dioxide emissions in 2019. The amount would increase over time to $30 per metric ton by 2029.

The money raised would go to clean energy efforts and projects that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also might encourage more people to buy vehicles that don't run solely on fossil fuel, Inslee said.

But adding that extra tax will mean gas prices will go up, and so will heating bills.

An analysis by the Washington Policy Center estimates the average family will spend $125 more on gasoline per year in 2019, and $375 more a year in 2029 if the tax is approved...

On the whole our state's B&O is seen as a misguided tax by many, since its collections are based on gross rather than net profits, and cities, including here in Kitsap, have been working to minimize its impact on small businesses by gradually lowering local B&O rates. It's a particular tax reform that's generally helpful to small business without creating an unaccountable giveaway that hurts public coffers, when implemented wisely.

Last summer's state budget agreement included a provision to expand the lower state B&O rate beyond the aerospace sector, applying it to all manufacturers. The provision, pushed by the Republican caucus but agreed to by Democrats in budget negotiations, wouldn't have completely eliminated state B&O, but it would have put all manufacturers on equal footing. That's a fair request in a state where Boeing and aerospace receive a deserved share of economic credit but aren't the only engine driving our future.

The measure was vetoed by Gov. Jay Inslee, who stated at the time he disagreed with being caught off-guard by its inclusion in a budget deal. In our view that was disappointing, given the work that went into the agreement, but this session the idea is back -- actually, two versions of it are. Competing Senate bills were in the Ways and Means committee as of Friday, both of which would gradually lower the B&O rate for all manufacturers to what's paid by the aerospace industry to the tune of about $64 million over the next four years...